Coon Rapids, Minn. --Laura Knutson (Jr./Edina, Minn.) struggled a bit in the final round, but hung on for 10th place to earn All-MIAC honors, becoming the first Carleton College women's golfer to earn all-conference honors in consecutive years.
The 19th-ranked Knights posted their worst round of the MIAC Championships, faltering from a tie for third into fifth place at the conclusion of the conference tournament. Carleton finished at 1,038, as they fired a final-round 350. The 54-hole total was the second-best in school history, 10 off last year's score. Louise Buckler (Jr./Blaine, Minn./St. Paul Academy) rebounded from a rough first two days to fire a final-round 11-over par 83, only one off her career best.
Knutson, who was tied for third entering the final round and started with a birdie, promptly lost her rhythm and battled all day, posting an 88 for a three-day total of 252, 36-over par for the three days. She was Carleton's top finisher, as Hope Keaney (Fy./San Anselmo, Calif./Marin Catholic) posted 260 to end 15th while Buckler was 18th and Traci Johnson (So./Lakeville, Minn./Lakeville North) ended at 264, good for a share of 21st.
"Obviously, it was extremely disappointing for us to finish the way we did today," Carleton head coach Eric Sieger said. "We knew coming into the weekend that it would take a peak performance to reach our goal of finishing in the top three or four, but we just played inconsistent golf across the board, and that's not going to get it done in a tough, deep conference like the MIAC."
Still, the Knights finished the fall with a 341.8 stroke average, nearly nine full shots less than last year's school record average, and did it without the services of junior Meghan Gajare (Kalamazoo, Mich./Portage Central), who is abroad this term.
"The first three weeks we were able to get it done without Meghan, but we really missed having another solid score to rely on these last two weeks," Sieger said. "With that said, we've had a great fall, exceeding what I thought we could do. It hurt not to perform up to our expectations this weekend, both for the players and the coaching staff, but hopefully we can take this experience and learn from it as we move forward. I think it will make us stronger in the long run."
Third-ranked Gustavus Adolphus won its second straight MIAC title at 968, followed by 18th-ranked St. Benedict at 1,014. 22nd-ranked St. Thomas, which entered the final round tied with the Knights, ended up third at 1,025, while St. Olaf passed the Knights with a final-round 338 to end up at 1,035, three shots ahead of the Knights. Katie Schenfeld of Gustavus won the individual title at 236, four shots clear of a trio of golfers.
The Knights are now off until the spring season, which begins on the competitive front with the Jekyll Island Collegiate on March 19-21, 2010.
